In the current dining landscape, San Diego restaurants face challenges like the rising cost of goods, labor shortages, and evolving customer expectations. Everything from longtime city institutions to newer places unable to find their footing can succumb to a combination of obstacles, although San Diego restaurateurs and chefs remain resilient — just check out Eater’s hot new restaurants map for proof. This column keeps track of all the closures you may have missed.
California English — Celebrity chef Richard Blais shuttered his British gastropub, California English, on September 25. The restaurant debuted in February 2023 in Sorrento Mesa, serving fish and chips, prime rib roasts, Cornish pasty, and boozy tea-based cocktails. Blais’ steakhouse, Ember and Rye, remains open in Carlsbad at the Park Hyatt Aviara, and he’s publishing a cookbook, Sauce Life, with his wife, Jazmin Blais. Izola Bakery has taken over the space with plans to open later this year once the bread ovens arrive from Europe. Owners Jeff Brown and Jenny Chen told Eater they’re excited to expand from East Village to North County, making it easier for guests to pick up items like chile crunch, cheese-filled sourdough loaves, and bibimbap croissants. Izola’s all-day menu will also include coffee and sandwiches.
Choi’s — East Village Asian fusion restaurant Choi’s served its final meal in September 2026. Open for less than three years, the minimalist restaurant abruptly shut; NBC News reports former employees allege the owner failed to pay them more than $100,000 in wages before its closure. Choi’s, which served charred gochujang octopus and pork belly bossam based on the owner’s grandmother’s cooking, opened next to Petco Park, and the neighborhood saw little foot traffic when there wasn’t a Padres baseball game or event at the stadium. The owner told Eater that Korean fusion “wasn’t the right concept for the location.”
Kokoro Restaurant — Longtime Japanese restaurant Kokoro closed on August 30. Sushi chef Taisho Ishito announced his retirement on social media after serving sushi and kappo cuisine in San Diego for 12 years and in Los Angeles for 15 years. Kokoro catered meals to the LA Dodgers’ Japanese players, like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. Chef Akio Ishito, who owned a sushi restaurant in LA and led the kitchen at Robata-ya Oton in Kearny Mesa, opened Kokoro in June 2014.
Sweetfin — San Diego’s last Sweetfin outpost has pulled up anchor in Carmel Valley’s One Paseo. The LA-based chain launched by a Top Chef winner slings gluten-free poke bowls with options like keto, plant-based, and high-protein bowls. The first San Diego fast-casual restaurant landed in the Westfield UTC Mall in February 2018 and closed in late 2024. The North County branch opened in July 2019 and closed in August 2026. The remaining 13 Sweetfin outposts remain open in LA and Orange County.
True Food Kitchen – True Food Kitchen in the Westfield UTC Mall closed its doors on October 4 after the company filed for Chapter 11, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Opened in October 2014, the University City location was one of a dozen outposts that closed on the day. Headquartered in Arizona, Sam Fox (The Henry, Culinary Dropout) founded the health-focused chain before spinning off the concept, which eventually found investors like Oprah Winfrey. The True Kitchen outpost in Fashion Valley remains open, along with 34 other locations across 14 states.
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